Mulching to protect soil
Mulching - Keep the Soil Covered
Mulching is a fundamental gardening practice, especially in the arid southwest US. Mulch provides an important barrier that protects soil from drying out and blowing away, as well as reducing soil and root temperature in the heat of summer. There are several main things that mulch can do for the garden.
1. Protects soil from water, wind and sun damage.
2. Reduces evaporation from soil.
3. Reduces weed pressure.
It's important to think about what your needs and your budget are when selecting mulches. I'll provide some suggestions including some free or low cost ideas.
Mulching to protect soil
Guidelines for Selecting Mulches
Care should be taken to select mulches that will work well and not cause new issues. I liked to use straw because it was so versatile and affordable, but discovered that I was killing my garden with straw treated with herbicides. Now I would only use straw if I could ensure it was free of dessicants (herbicides).
Good mulches should allow water to penetrate and be able to resist being blown or washed away. If weed control is important, the mulch will need to be tough enough to keep weeds from sprouting through. And if plastic is used, it should be UV resistant. Budget will need to be considered, especially for large areas, but there are free materials that can be used.
For farmers and gardeners who grow lots of food, choosing mulches that work with crop production will be important. Large rolls or sheets of mulch material can be easily installed and good for reducing weeds. Mulches should be compatible with the watering system, such as going on top of the drip system or water should have access to the plant roots with other systems. They will also need to work with seeding and transplanting.
Mulching to protect soil
Mulch Options
What mulch is best? That depends on where it's going to be used and what the gardener wants it to do there. While all mulch options should protect the soil and reduce moisture loss, they vary a lot in other ways.
Loose Organic Mulches
This is often what folks will be shown if they ask for mulch options at a retail nursery, bags of wood chips or bark shreds. This is often the easiest and most aesthetic option for small landscape areas, but can be quite expensive. Buying in bulk saves over bagged products, but in this category there can also be free options such as grass clippings and shredded leaves.
Paper & Biodegradable Fabric
Any paper that is free of unhealthy chemicals can make a good mulch. Avoid paper with coatings, shiny finishes and bright colors. I have used free or recycled newspaper many times when I needed free mulch material, and it worked fine. These days I prefer to have rolls of mulch paper that is easy to roll out on long beds and thick enough to keep weeds down. I like burlap though the weed resistance is low. And I often cover paper/fabric mulch with other things like bark or chipped wood to add depth.
Plastic Mulches
Plastic mulch material is often the most weed resistant, but can break down very quickly under UV from the sunlight. Look for materials that don't leach and are UV resistant. I continue to use bags left over from my seed starting mix or compost purchases, which don't cost me any more than the original product. These are good for covering compost piles and for mulching small spaces I need to be weed free.